


two fair houses, alike in dignity

by deathsbinky



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: F/F, I see mary in fics all the time where is bess, also jane grey is here cause I love her, her and elizabeth were friends in real life, where is she
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25216786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathsbinky/pseuds/deathsbinky
Summary: Anne and Lina have dinner with their daughters at Anne's house. Elizabeth is a regular Nancy Drew, Mary is a bit behind her, Catalina would like her girlfriend to take one (1) thing seriously, and Anne can't cook.
Relationships: Catherine of Aragon/Anne Boleyn
Comments: 20
Kudos: 69





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> the question is not who will let me write historical fanfiction the question is who will stop me

Elizabeth Boleyn walked home with Jane Grey and Robert Dudley. It was fall, with orange leaves littering the sidewalk and the lawns of the suburban houses. Rob, the tallest, was on the edge, leaving Elizabeth and Jane to walk next to each other, arms linked. 

Rob was talking about horses- he had a big dark horse that he rode competitively, and this weekend he was going to the next town over to beat the hell out of his brothers in a race, or something. Jane was also going away on Saturday with the debate team, so Elizabeth was going to be all alone most of the weekend, which sucked. At least it gave her time to practice the bass guitar. 

Her phone buzzed- it was her mom.  _ cool if guests 4 dinner  _

_ whatevs _ , she replied. 

_ its the aragons  _

_ ok ??  _

_ cool cool cool cool  _

“Guys,” she interrupted Rob and his horse obsession, “What do you know about the Aragons?” 

“Mary’s on the debate team with me. They call her Bloody Mary but I don’t know why,” Jane said. “I think she’s dating a guy named Philip or something.” 

“She likes kids- babysits all the time. When our families used to have dinner together she would talk about it a lot. Very Catholic family.” Rob said.

“Isn’t her mom a lawyer?” Jane wondered. 

“She’s made people cry in cross-examination,” Rob confirmed. 

“Probably why Mary’s in debate,” Elizabeth said. “Makes sense.” 

Rob kicked at a pile of leaves. “Why do you wanna know?” 

“My mom’s inviting them over to dinner, I guess.” Elizabeth shrugged. “It’s just weird ‘cause of Henry.” 

The group fell silent. The specter of Henry Tudor’s philandering ways loomed large over Elizabeth’s life, as much as she hated it. She was obviously his kid- red hair and temper both- and she heard what adults said about her mother. Rob didn’t like to talk about it because his father and Henry were still friends, but Jane had listened Elizabeth angry-cry when Henry sent a birthday card five weeks late too many times to like the man. 

Jane nudged Elizabeth out of her reflection. “Hey, it’ll be okay.”

“Maybe your families are going to fight to the death,” Rob said. “You could take Mary.” 

Elizabeth laughed and turned onto the walkway towards her front door. “Bye guys, see you Monday!” 

Slamming the door closed, Elizabeth dumped her backpack down and kicked her shoes off. 

“Pick those up, please,” Anne Boleyn said, frantically dusting the fireplace and bookshelves. 

Elizabeth looked around the living room and said, “What the hell.” 

It looked like somebody had given Marie Kondo a small pile of cocaine and let her go to town. The couch was vacuumed. The bookshelves, usually sloppily overflowing with books, had been straightened up and alphabetized. The coffee table was cleared off except for a vase of flowers. Their cat, Luther, had a new collar with a bow on it. 

“Is the Queen dropping by and nobody told me?” Elizabeth asked. 

Anne gestured at the backpack and shoes. “Can you put those in your room, please?” 

“Seriously, it’s just the Aragons,” Elizabeth said. 

“She’s never been to my house, Bessie,” Anne said. “I always went to her house! Do you know how nice their house is?” 

“Uh, no. When have you been to Ms. Aragon’s house?” 

“Not important!” 

“Why are they coming over, anyway? Are you two friends now?” Elizabeth asked. 

Anne took a deep breath and moved closer to Elizabeth, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She was wearing her lucky green skirt, Elizabeth noticed, which typically made an appearance when they had Christmas with her grandparents or had a thing at work. Was she wearing it this morning? Elizabeth didn’t think so. 

“It’s important for me that this dinner goes well, is all, and that you and Mary understand how me and Lina are closer, now, and that it doesn’t mean anything bad for you two… at least I hope it doesn’t mean anything bad… I don’t know about Mary, which is probably why we should’ve had this at Lina’s house, but Lina wouldn’t do best out of three.” 

“Which sounds unfair,” Elizabeth said. She was catching onto the underpinning of this, now. She was happy for her mom, then, and would be on her best behavior. 

Anne flung her hands in the air. “You always do two out of three. You get it.” 

Elizabeth picked her shoes up and went to her room. Thankfully, it was un-Kondo’d, with her shirts spilling out of her dresser and band posters taped up everywhere and her shoes all over. Her guitar case and her bass case and her keyboard poked out from underneath her dresser. She flopped on her bed and pulled out her phone to text Jane, smiling at her lockscreen: the two of them on a trip to the beach, the ocean behind them. 

_moms been bodysnatched lol_ , she sent. 

_ I’d freak out if Catalina de Aragon was at my house to be fair _ , Jane replied. 

Elizabeth smiled at Jane’s usage of proper punctuation. She was such a grammar stickler, it was cute. 

_ i think theyre dating _

Jane’s texting bubble popped up once or twice, but she didn’t send anything. Elizabeth frowned.

_ if u have a problem w/ that nows the time _ , Elizabeth sent. 

_ Not with the gay thing but they were both involved with the same guy. Isn’t it weird to have a shared ex? Plus you and Mary are half-sisters.  _

Nice, Elizabeth thought, Jane wasn’t a homophobe. 

_ Also I can’t be homophobic because I’m a lesbian and if Guilford Dudley hits on me during Math one more time I’ll let you punch him.  _

Elizabeth felt breathless and electrified, like she’d put her finger in a socket. She put a hand over her heart- it was racing. She didn’t know why. 

_ id punch grossford any day of the week. cant believe him and robby r related _ , she typed with shaking fingers.  _ also gay rights ofc _

_ Good luck having dinner with Bloody Mary.  _

_ lol yeah keep u updated _

“Elizabeth!” Anne shouted from the kitchen. 

Elizabeth sighed and shoved her phone back in her jeans, then went to see what her mom wanted. 

She found first that the kitchen, unlike the living room and dining area, had been decimated by her mom’s war on food. Neither of the Boleyns were culinary geniuses and usually got by on premade meals or simple stuff, not whatever kind of fancy meal and sauce business that required so many mixing bowls and frying pans. 

“Do you think this is good,” Anne said, offering up a spatula covered in the sauce. 

Elizabeth stuck her finger in it and had a taste. She gagged. “Oh, too spicy.” 

“Maybe they like…” Anne dipped her own pinky in, “Mixed spices and cheese, I think?” 

“Also a little burnt tasting,” Elizabeth added. 

Anne deflated. “I’m going to take it off the stove, then.” She turned the burner off and opened the oven. A little smoke came out. “Oh, no.” 

“Is that a fish?” Elizabeth asked. 

“It was, yeah,” Anne said. “Christ, Bess.” 

“Are you supposed to cook fish in an oven?” 

“Instructions said so, but with the cleaning and everything the time might’ve gotten away with me.” 

They shared a look of dismay. 

“Too late to call for pizza?” Elizabeth suggested, and, like an Emergency Care nurse saying that she thought the hospital was having a quiet afternoon, brought doom down upon the two of them in the form of a doorbell. 

“Answer it,” Anne whispered, “While I deal with this.” She gestured at the fish and the sauce. 

On the other side of the door, as expected, were Ms. Aragon and Mary. They were both in nicer clothes than Anne or Elizabeth, and wore gold crosses. 

“Hello, Elizabeth,” Ms. Aragon said. 

Mary, who was holding a bottle of wine, nodded. Elizabeth, with a bit of pride, noticed that she was taller than Mary. 

“Hi.” Elizabeth opened the door wider and let them in. “Feel free to sit on the couch while my mom finishes dinner.” 

Ms. Aragon settled herself awkwardly on the recliner while Mary took the end of the couch closest to it, still holding the wine; Elizabeth closed to the door and leaned up against the fireplace. 

“What a lovely home,” Ms. Aragon said. “So many wonderful photographs of you and Anne.” 

“Sure,” Elizabeth said. She pointed at the far end of the fireplace, where a baby photo of Elizabeth in a stupid matching Halloween costume with her mom sat. “I was a baby and stuff, you know.” 

“Are you kangaroos?” Ms. Aragon asked with a smile. 

“Cousin Kitty and her girlfriend Anna were koalas. It was a whole down-under theme,” Elizabeth said. 

They were silent for a moment, Mary drumming her fingers against the glass of the bottle. 

A crash-bang came from the kitchen, with Anne’s quick shout of french vulgarity following. Ms. Aragon stood. 

“I’m going to check on that. Elizabeth, show Mary your room.” 

Elizabeth and Mary stood, naturally following the command of Ms. Aragon’s voice, but Elizabeth flung a hand out. 

“Wait!” she cried, and ran to her room, shoving her shirts in the drawers and kicking her shoes under the bed. She returned to find Mary without the wine and Ms. Aragon disappearing into the kitchen. “Okay, we’re good.” 

Mary followed Elizabeth back to her room, where she sat in Elizabeth’s desk chair, while Elizabeth perched on the corner of her bed. 

“So I hear you have a boyfriend or something,” Elizabeth said. 

Mary nodded and pulled up a photo of him to show off. “Philip.” 

He looked like his face was having an allergic reaction to itself, Elizabeth thought. Straight people had no taste. “Looks like a nice guy,” Elizabeth said. 

“He is. He goes to the Catholic boy’s school, St. Antony’s, so you wouldn’t know him,” Mary explained, “We met at a debate tournament.” 

“Right, you’re in that with Jane.” 

“Jane Grey,” Mary said, rolling her eyes. 

Elizabeth straightened up. “What is that supposed to mean.” 

“Nothing. I bet she’s told you all about me, though,” Mary said, her voice balancing on a knife’s edge of nastiness. 

“She hasn’t mentioned your name once, actually,” Elizabeth replied. “Some people are polite.” 

“They all call me Bloody Mary,” Mary said, bitter. “That’s not polite at all.” 

Elizabeth began to suspect that the nickname had little to do with Mary’s debate prowess. 

“In elementary school the kids used to call me firecrotch,” Elizabeth said. 

They smiled at each other, awkwardly. 

“The pains of being ginger.” Mary laughed. 

The inadvertent touching upon their shared heritage put an end to the conversation, and they turned to their phones. 

Elizabeth texted Jane.  _ marys kind of nice if weird ?  _

_ She’s probably just lonely _ , Jane replied immediately. Her promptness was one of the many things Elizabeth admired about her. 

_ also her bf philly cheese steak has a fat head lol  _

_ You saw a picture?? I’ve only seen his car. It’s a Tesla, really nice. _

_ who lets their kid drive their tesla _ , Elizabeth sent, then,  _ like what if he crashed it!!!  _

_ They’d buy another. LMAO.  _

Elizabeth snorted.  _ janie jane did u just use an aCRONYM is this the day the world ends  _

_ Not with a bang but a whimper?  _

_ ill show u a bang for a whimper  _

_ 6/10 on material, 4/10 for delivery. A sad showing from the Boleyn contestant.  _

_ tru tru i usually got more game than this _ , Elizabeth agreed. 

Anne popped her head into Elizabeth’s room, knocking on the doorjamb. “Dinner time.” 

Mary and Elizabeth nodded, the latter sending off a quick text to Jane-  _ time 4 dinner mourn me if i die _ . 

The three of them found the dinner table set for four, fish and sauce already plated for consumption. Ms. Aragon sat at the head, and the children found spots catty-corner to each other, with Anne facing Mary and Elizabeth facing Ms. Aragon. 

Elizabeth poked at the burnt fish with her fork while the Aragons said a quick prayer over their meal. 

“Looks super edible,” she said to her mother. 

“That was what I was going for,” Anne replied. 

Ms. Aragon, graceful to a fault, steered the conversation away from the poor fish and towards Elizabeth’s school life and friends. 

“You’re friends with Robert Dudley,” she said. “He’s a good young man.” 

Elizabeth nodded. “He rides horses.” 

“How do you like him?” Ms. Aragon asked, arching an eyebrow. 

“Like…” Elizabeth trailed off. 

“Are the two of you dating?” 

“Ew,” Elizabeth answered, with all the reflexive disdain a teenager could muster. 

Anne broke in. “‘Lina, don’t cross examine my kid, okay?” 

Simultaneously, Mary exclaimed, “‘Lina?” as Ms. Aragon said, “Cross examine!” 

“I can’t ask Elizabeth questions?” Ms. Aragon demanded. 

“She’s not dating anybody! She’s fifteen,” Anne said.

“Hey, I could date if I wanted too,” Elizabeth pointed out. 

“I thought the whole point of this-” Ms. Aragon started. 

Elizabeth interrupted, “Though Rob is not my type, to be clear!” 

“‘Lina,” Mary muttered, eyes darting between Anne and her mother. 

“-is so that we can get to know each other’s families-” Ms. Aragon continued. 

Anne crossed her arms and huffed. “You sound so accusatory sometimes, and Bess is a good girl.” 

“I have to ask her things, Anne, how else will it work!” Ms. Aragon said. 

“Did you guys start out this dinner wanting to argue like an old married couple, or does that happen no matter what’s going on?” Elizabeth asked, hoping to break the frisson of tension at the table. 

Everybody froze. 

“Me and ‘Lina- nah- only couple we are is a couple of pals- gals and pals,” Anne said frantically. 

“That’s twice now you’ve called her ‘Lina,” Mary said. True realization dawned across her face. “The two of you really are dating.” 

Ms. Aragon reached over and took Mary and Anne’s hands in her own. “Me and Anne have been seeing each other, yes.” 

“For how long?” Mary’s eyes were wide and beseeching. 

This time Anne answered. “Six months on the day, actually.” 

“Good on you for remembering the date, Mom,” Elizabeth said. 

Anne winked at Ms. Aragon. “What can I say, I’m a catch.” 

“We feel strongly for each other, but we wanted to make sure our connection would survive before we introduced the idea of us as a unit,” Ms. Aragon said. “We’re not going to move in together anytime soon, or even get married, but since we feel about each other… the way we feel… we thought it necessary for you girls to know.” 

“Two boss ladies making it work,” Anne added, gesturing between them. “That’s us.” 

“Do either of you have any more questions?” Ms. Aragon looked at Mary and then at Elizabeth, who hadn’t bothered to look surprised at all. 

“Yeah, Bess, aren’t you shocked about my announcement?” Anne nudged her daughter. 

“I put the pieces together when you vacuumed,” Elizabeth said flatly. 

Anne nodded. “It’s a special occasion.” 

Ms. Aragon’s brow furrowed. “Please clean your house more regularly, Anne.” 

“You’re not my boss anymore. You’re my girlfriend.” Anne pouted. Ms. Aragon planted a kiss on her cheek that gave Anne a megawatt smile. 

“Gross.” Elizabeth went back to poking at her fish. As much as she liked her mom being happy, nobody liked to think that their mom could- ugh- participate in romance. She preferred to think of her mom in only old-timey courting situations where holding hands was the end of it. At least Ms. Aragon was nice. 

“If you’re happy, Mama, then I’m happy,” Mary declared. 

“Anne makes me happy, dear,” Ms. Aragon replied, warmth suffused in her voice. 

Anne aw’d. “You like me.” 

“We are dating,” Ms. Aragon said. “You can’t tease me about liking you.” 

“It’s cute.” Anne booped Ms. Aragon’s nose. 

Elizabeth made a gagging noise. “No flirting at dinner.” 

“Speaking of dinner, I do think that we should call for a pizza,” Anne suggested. “‘Cause as much magic as ‘Lina worked in the last minute, this is garbage.” 

“I like Hawaiian,” Mary said, provoking an argument with Anne that would last at least five minutes or else Elizabeth would eat her socks. 

Quietly, Elizabeth pulled her phone out under the table and texted Jane:  _ mom and aragon r legit dating,,,,,, it’s pretty wack but tight at the same time?? _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little kitchen interlude between catalina and anne

Catalina entered the kitchen to find Anne slumped against the oven, sauce all over the floor, head in her hands. 

“I heard swearing,” Catalina teased. 

Anne groaned. “Don’t even start.” 

Catalina carefully maneuvered around the sauce and pulled Anne to her feet, giving her two quick kisses. 

“Stop,” Anne said, giggling, “The kids are in the living room.” 

“Sent them to Elizabeth’s room,” Catalina said. She pulled back and looked into Anne’s black eyes; they drew you in like nothing else. They brought her right back to the second time they met, after Henry, when it was the two of them working a trial and Anne’s unlimited magnetism pulling them together. “Anne, it’ll be fine.” 

“I burnt the fish,” Anne admitted, “And I think half the sauce is on the floor, and Bess knows something’s up, and we should’ve done this at your house-” 

“It’ll be fine anyway,” Catalina promised. She squeezed Anne’s hands, still interlinked with hers. “I care about you so much and Mary hardly remembers the divorce anyway.” 

Anne rolled her eyes. “Real comforting, babe.” 

“You know what I meant,” Catalina said. 

“Do you think Mary and Bess are getting along?” 

They both paused to see if they could hear shouting from Elizabeth’s room. There wasn’t any, which Catalina supposed was better than violence. No news is good news. 

“We’re going to take a deep breath and clean this floor off,” Catalina said, “And then you’ll get the girls while I plate everything. Deal?” 

“Deal,” Anne confirmed, sneaking another kiss. “What would I do without you?”


End file.
